Gold-separatob



UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

R. H. DUNNING, OF NORTH SAN JUAN, CALIFORNIA.

GOLD-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 27,041, dated February 7, 1860.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, RHESA H. DUNNING, of North San Juan, in the county of Nevada and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for l/Vashing Auriferous Mineral Matters to Obtain the Gold Therefrom; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, in which- Figures l, and Q, are vertical sections at right angles to each other of my improved apparatus.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

A B C is an oblong wooden box of any convenient size having a closed flat bottom A, which should have an inclination in a longitudinal direction of about one inch to every food of length as shown in Fig. l, and having its sides B, B, vertical and either parallel or slightly approaching each other toward the lower end of the box which is open. The upper end ot' the box is closed as shown at C, Fig. l. The said box may be put together in any manner well calculated for strength. This box which may be called the receiver has flat pieces D, D, of board, cast-iron, or stone laid across the top of the bottom A, of the box and secured in a suitable manner at short distances apart so as to leave cavities a, a, between them, upon the bottom of the box to contain quicksilver and constitute receptacles for gold. The said pieces D, D, which are what are generally termed by miners false bottoms may, with advantage, be sawed crosswise from the end of a log.

E, F, is an oblong wooden box which I call the separator arranged across the top of the receiver and over the highest portion thereof. This box is represented with a flat bottom E and vertical parallel sides F, F, but it may be V shaped in its transverse section and taper longitudinally. Both of its ends are represented as being open but it is not material, whether its upper end is closed or open. It may be of about the same width as the receiver but its width should be considerably less than the length of the receiver. Its length is not limited. Its bot-tom has an inclination in a longitudinal direction about equal to the inclination of the bottom of the separator. Its bottom E, has in the part which is over the separator a number of slots b, o, extending all across it at intervals of a few inches apart, the width of said slots being about or not less than three inches. Above the bottom E, is a second, or as it may be termed a false bottom composed of strips of board, iron plates or stone slabs fitted and secured between the sides F, F, said strips plates or slabs being of such width and so arranged as to lap over the slots I), b, and leave openings c, c, between them over the said slots of from one to two inches in width, and also to leave one or more cavities d, above the closed portion or portions of the bottom E, to contam Quicksilver and serve as receptacles for gold.

The sides and bottom of the separator are represented as being secured together by battens or braces H, H, nailed or secured across the bottom and extended through mortises in the sides F, F, which extend below the bottom and are mortised to receive the lower ends of posts I, I, which are nailed or screwed to the sides F, F. Other methods of construction may however be adopted. The separator is secured in its place on the top of the receiver by having its sides notched into the sides of the receiver.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The sluice boxes leading from a tunnel or open cut of a mining claim are fastened to the upper end of the se arator A, B, in any convenient manner so t at the separator forms a continuation of the line of sluices from the point at which the latter receive the gravel or auriferous matter which contains the gold, which matter is supplied to the separator with a suticient stream of water and such quicksilver as comes down the sluice, a small portion of the gold and quicksilver will be retained in the upper cavities d of the separator but the rest with all the fine gravel and water escape through the openings c, c, into the receiver, while the large gravel and rock roll over the said openings and are discharged at the lower end of the separator. The cavities a, a, in the bottom of the receiver retain nothing but gold and quicksilver and the gravel and other foreign matter is washed away with the water through the open lower end of the receiver. The matters escaping either' from the lower end of the separator or receiver may be subjected to a repetition of the same operation. The most convenient way to do this, Where t's'practcable ywill be to-have sluices to `convey theml to similar apparatus in a lower position.

I do not claimw. broadly a`` receiver nor a separator (technically so called) for Washing gold; but f I claim- The separator E, F, 'having asecondary or false bottom composed of bars or strips G, G, Which bars areplaced soas to leave an opening c 0 between them, and over the opening or slots b, through the main bottom-the said separator being so arranged with lreference to the receiver as to bring the said openings-over the receiverthe whole arrangement being so inclined that a portion of the water and the auriferous particles Will drop through into the receiver-while the larger gravel and rock will be discharged from the lower end of the separator, outside of the receiverfor the purposes, substantially as herein described.

. R. H. DUNNING.

Witnesses:

C. D. FARQUHAR, JOHN R. LANE. 

